Expedition
The Archaeological Expedition is 'a mini-game based off of the almost ubiquitous Minesweeper game. It functions the same way, using hexagons however, and provides the player with a safe, flashing tile to start with. Unlike the other Mini-Games, Expedition is not said to be within an arcade machine; presumably the player is exploring the city underground. The area is most notable for its large role in 'Quests and Assemblers; rare assemblers like the Bottle of Wine and Cat Earrings can be found here. The Expedition area also has a large share of its own unique collection items. Disclaimer: This wiki is maintained by fans of the game, and is not affiliated with G5 Entertainment or the people behind the game in any way. If you are experiencing problems in the game, contact support. Gameplay As stated previously, the gameplay is very similar to another well-known game, but there are a few differences. The goal is to either uncover all of the rock tiles without bombs in them, or defuse every bomb with the use of Mine Detectors. When tile(s) are uncovered, they display a number. The number designates the amount of bombs near that tile. This usually allows the player to determine, by process of elimination, which tiles are safe or not. As the rank of the area increases, the board will gain trickier designs, as well as more bombs. (a '3' or '4' will never be seen at rank 1). It may not always be certain whether a player can determine where a bomb is, but that is where the Tools come in handy. The game also has a built- in system to allow the player another try if they uncovered a bomb too quickly. The use of Tools makes this game a bit easier as well as the hexagonal spaces (6 possible choices as opposed to 8 around one in minesweeper) Note that the bombs in this game are not the same as the Bomb Tool in Crystals. * A Discoverer's Magnifier will uncover a single, bombless tile. It is good for getting out of 50/50 choices. * The Mine Detector has two uses: ** Saving the player when a bomb is uncovered. ** Uncovering a random bomb when used. Tips and Tricks Patience is key. Unless one is used to patterns and solving the board, carefully moving through the game will make completing it more likely. * If a tile has the number of bombs it states located, then every other tile around it is safe. This is most common with '1's. * If a tile is touching the same amount of uncovered tiles as its number, they are all bombs. * Mine Detectors will uncover a bomb and all safe spaces around it! Remember to use them as an item rather than holding onto them until a bomb is found. ** As a followup, it would be unwise to play Expedition without any Mine Detectors. * When a player is given the one or two 'freebie' panels at the beginning, they may uncover a very small area, especially if they happen to be placed in corners. It would be better to retry the game (relaunch the app/window) and get a larger spread than to solve the entire board from a corner. * Treat numbers with bombs near them as if they are lowered; If there is a '2' with one known bomb near it, it is essentially the same as it being a '1' tile (See the example with '3's). * Never focus on the entire map or random guess (except when the game will automatically save you during the first few tiles)-See the pictures below. Examine the tiles carefully. * If a 50-50 situation is found, use an item, or try another area of the board to gain more information. * If a player is low on Mine Detectors, they should consider opening the Discoverer's Caché. It may be a bit difficult to explain this with just words, so some examples are shown below. Expedition Bomb Surrounded.png|A Bomb is hidden in the center tile. Expedition Bomb Uncovered.png|Since the bomb is uncovered, all '1' tiles adjacent to it become safe. Expedition Example With 2s.png|An Example with larger numbers. Since the Topmost 2 is only touching two tiles, they are both bombs. Same with the Right middle '2'. Expedition Example With Threes.png|The '3' tiles both have 2 uncovered bombs; this makes them act similarly to '1' tiles. With that information, the '1's to the left also become safe. Expedition 2 and 1.png|A '2' with only two tiles next to it. They must both be bombs. Expedition Touching One Tile.png|An example with a larger board, thinner path. Expedition Example3.png|Extension of the previous example. The '3' has two bombs near it and is only touching one more tile. So that uncovered tile must be a bomb, and satisfies the '1' below. Expedition 50-50.png|A 50/50 Situation. It is best to back off and use and item, or try another way to the same point on the board. ADVANCED TIPS: When you've reached upper ranks (where logic isn't enough, and a "guess" will always be required at some point), it's still possible to almost always win, without using a mine detector tool or randomly guessing, if you're careful and strategic about it. * *Don't* click on the flashing hint tile(s) first!! If you open too many tiles that way by logic, you won't qualify for the game's "free pass". Instead, use that safety net to make progress on a random area. First, memorize or make note (like Row 2-Column 4, or a screen shot) of the flashing tile location(s), but don't click them yet. Instead, start by clicking a random tile in an area located away from the flashing ones. Keep picking tiles near that one, guessing if necessary, until either you hit a bomb and get the "free pass", or enough tiles bloom open that you won't get the "free pass" anymore. Finish anything you can do with logic there, and only then return and click on the locations of the flashing tiles that you noted at the beginning. Most of the time, playing logically from the flashing tiles now will connect up with the random area you played, and you won't reach the impasse requiring guessing that you would have if you'd started with the flashing ones. * If you get stuck near the end of the game, don't forget to look at the bomb counter. Compare that to the number of bombs you know the location of, but are still hidden behind a tile. For example, if you know where 7 out of 8 are, and you also have a spot where you know a bomb is hidden under one of 2 possible tiles, then you know all other un-turned tiles are safe to click. * Don't forget there are no "zero's", every tile is next to at least 1 bomb. So if you find an un-turned tile completely surrounded (usually on edge of game field) by tiles with numbers not bombs, you know it has to be a bomb (otherwise it would be a 0). * If you have to guess, try to find a cluster of bombs, a set of bombs completely surrounding an unknown tile on the edge, or a hexagon where the center tile is unknown and at least 3 or 4 bombs around the perimeter are known. There's no guarantee, but the game is much less likely to have a large cluster of bombs touching each other. Therefore, make your guess next to the cluster, or in the center of the hexagon. Clicking there gives you better odds than other random parts of the field. * If you really get down to needing to guess, put some thought into picking a tile that will give you the most information if it turns out not to be a bomb, so you won't end up having to guess again if you survive. Video Example Ranks Here's a table showing energy, experience and coins for each rank of the Expedition mini-game. These will be different depending on a players rank. Item Drops Related Pages * Upper City * Hidden City Home * Hidden City Info * Locations * Events Category:Mini-Games Category:Main City Locations